US10486432B2 - Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and storage medium - Google Patents

Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and storage medium Download PDF

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US10486432B2
US10486432B2 US15/987,644 US201815987644A US10486432B2 US 10486432 B2 US10486432 B2 US 10486432B2 US 201815987644 A US201815987644 A US 201815987644A US 10486432 B2 US10486432 B2 US 10486432B2
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recording
projected portion
printing material
region
unevenness
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US20180345680A1 (en
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Toshiyuki Ishii
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Canon Inc
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Canon Inc
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/205—Ink jet for printing a discrete number of tones
    • B41J2/2056—Ink jet for printing a discrete number of tones by ink density change
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/205—Ink jet for printing a discrete number of tones
    • B41J2/2054—Ink jet for printing a discrete number of tones by the variation of dot disposition or characteristics, e.g. dot number density, dot shape
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/21—Ink jet for multi-colour printing
    • B41J2/2132—Print quality control characterised by dot disposition, e.g. for reducing white stripes or banding
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/21—Ink jet for multi-colour printing
    • B41J2/2132—Print quality control characterised by dot disposition, e.g. for reducing white stripes or banding
    • B41J2/2135—Alignment of dots
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J3/00—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed
    • B41J3/407—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed for marking on special material
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B42—BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER
    • B42D—BOOKS; BOOK COVERS; LOOSE LEAVES; PRINTED MATTER CHARACTERISED BY IDENTIFICATION OR SECURITY FEATURES; PRINTED MATTER OF SPECIAL FORMAT OR STYLE NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; DEVICES FOR USE THEREWITH AND NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; MOVABLE-STRIP WRITING OR READING APPARATUS
    • B42D25/00—Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof

Definitions

  • the present disclosure generally relates to image processing and, more particularly, to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, a storage medium, and an image processing technique for reproducing colors on a recording medium having an unevenness formed thereon.
  • a printer having ultraviolet curable resin ink (hereinafter referred to as UV ink) mounted thereon has recently arrived at the market.
  • the UV printer can cure UV ink by irradiating the UV ink with ultraviolet light.
  • an unevenness can be formed on a surface of a print product.
  • the unevenness formed on the surface of the print product affects reflection characteristics of the print product such as a reflection direction and a reflection strength of incident light. Accordingly, the reflection characteristics of the print product can be controlled not only by controlling colors like in the related art, but also by controlling the unevenness formed on the surface of the print product.
  • Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-052154 discusses a technique for controlling reflection characteristics of a print product by controlling an unevenness and colors.
  • Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-052154 also discusses a technique in which a fine unevenness with a parallel line pattern is formed and recessed portions and projected portions of the unevenness are colored with respective different colors.
  • the area ratio between the projected portions and the recessed portions as viewed from an observer varies depending on an observation angle. Accordingly, when the print product is observed, color appearances vary depending on the observation angle.
  • the present disclosure is directed to providing an image processing technique for reproducing colors with a high accuracy on a recording medium having an unevenness formed on a surface thereof.
  • an image processing apparatus that generates data for setting different colors for a projected portion and a recessed portion of an unevenness on a surface of a recording medium by recording a colored printing material on at least the projected portion of the unevenness includes a first acquisition unit configured to acquire recording amount data representing a recording amount of the colored printing material, and a halftoning unit configured to perform first halftoning on the recording amount data to arrange a larger number of dots of the colored printing material to be recorded on the projected portion of the unevenness at a center of the projected portion than at edges of the projected portion.
  • FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 10 are schematic diagrams each illustrating a structure of an anisotropic print product.
  • FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams each illustrating a configuration of an image processing apparatus 1 .
  • FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus 211 .
  • FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E are diagrams each illustrating an operation in which the image forming apparatus 211 forms an uneven layer and an image layer.
  • FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating processing to be executed by the image processing apparatus 1 .
  • FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating processing for analyzing geometric data.
  • FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating halftone processing.
  • FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating processing for determining the size of a threshold matrix.
  • FIGS. 9A and 9B are schematic diagrams each illustrating a threshold matrix.
  • FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating path decomposition processing.
  • FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating path decomposition processing.
  • FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating the formation of an uneven layer and an image layer.
  • FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating color separation processing.
  • FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a color separation look-up table (LUT).
  • FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a combination of recording amounts of colored inks.
  • FIG. 1A illustrates an uneven shape formed on an xy two-dimensional plane on a recording medium. Recessed portions and projected portions are repeatedly arranged in an x-axis direction, and a so-called vertical line pattern is formed as observed from a position facing a print surface.
  • FIG. 1B illustrates a sectional structure of the uneven shape on an xz plane. In the present exemplary embodiment, it is assumed that the printer resolution is about 600 dpi and the width of one dot is 40 ⁇ m.
  • one cycle of the unevenness is 320 ⁇ m.
  • the thickness (height) of one layer (one dot) 15 ⁇ m and the projected portions are formed by stacking 10 dots in a z-axis direction. Accordingly, the height of each projected portion 150 ⁇ m.
  • Such an uneven layer having fine projected portions and recessed portions is not visually recognized from an observer and thus the structure looks like a flat print product such as paper or cloth.
  • FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram illustrating that different colors are observed according to variation in observation angle in the print product formed according to the present exemplary embodiment.
  • Colors are designated for the respective image layers formed on the surface of each projected portion and the surface of each recessed portion. Accordingly, when the print product is observed from a viewpoint 1, only the color of each projected portion is observed by occlusion, and when the print product is observed from a viewpoint 2, the mixed color of the colors of the surface of each projected portion and the surface of each recessed portion is observed.
  • the structure of the print product looks like a flat surface. However, if the azimuth angle of the observation direction is changed, color appearances vary depending on the color recorded on each projected portion and the color recorded on each recessed portion.
  • the image processing apparatus 1 may be, for example, a computer, and includes a central processing unit (CPU) 201 , a read only memory (ROM) 202 , and a random access memory (RAM) 203 .
  • the CPU 201 which may include one or more processors and one or more memories, executes an operating system (OS) and various programs, which are stored in the ROM 202 , a hard disk drive (HDD) 213 , or the like, by using the RAM 203 as a work memory. Further, the CPU 201 controls each component through a system bus 208 .
  • OS operating system
  • HDD hard disk drive
  • a display 215 is connected to a video card (VC) 204 .
  • An input device 210 such as a mouse or keyboard, and an image forming apparatus 211 are connected to a general-purpose interface (I/F) 205 through a serial bus 209 .
  • a general-purpose drive 214 that reads data from the HDD 213 or various recording media and writes data therein is connected to a serial ATA (SATA) I/F 206 through a serial bus 212 .
  • a network interface card (NIC) 207 receives information from an external device and outputs information thereto.
  • the CPU 201 uses various recording media mounted on the HDD 213 or the general-purpose drive 214 as storage locations for various pieces of data.
  • the CPU 201 displays on the display 215 a user interface (UI) to be provided by a program, and receives an input, such as a user instruction, through the input device 210 .
  • UI user interface
  • FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating the logical configuration of the image processing apparatus 1 according to the first exemplary embodiment.
  • the image processing apparatus 1 includes a first acquisition unit 301 , a second acquisition unit 302 , a holding unit 303 , a color separation unit 304 , an analysis unit 305 , a halftoning unit 306 , and a formation control unit 307 .
  • the first acquisition unit 301 acquires image data representing an image to be formed on a recording medium.
  • the second acquisition unit 302 acquires geometric data representing an uneven shape formed on the recording medium.
  • the holding unit 303 holds a table, such as a color separation loop-up table (LUT), in which color information included in the image data and recording amounts of colored inks included in the image forming apparatus 211 are associated with each other.
  • the color separation unit 304 performs color separation processing using the color separation LUT on the image data including the color information, thereby generating recording amount data representing the recording amount of colored inks.
  • the analysis unit 305 analyzes the geometric data.
  • the halftoning unit 306 performs halftoning on the recording amount data, thereby generating dot arrangement data corresponding to a dot arrangement of colored inks.
  • the formation control unit 307 performs path decomposition of the dot arrangement represented by the dot arrangement data, thereby determining the arrangement of ink dots for each recording scan (path).
  • the image forming apparatus 211 forms an uneven layer and an image layer on the recording medium based on the determined arrangement of ink dots for each recording scan (path).
  • the recording medium is not particularly limited. Various types of materials such as paper, a plastic film, or the like, may be used as long as the materials are capable of formation of layers by the recording head.
  • FIG. 3 is the configuration diagram of the image forming apparatus 211 .
  • the image forming apparatus 211 is an inkjet printer that forms an uneven shape (uneven layer) by using ink and records colors (image layer) on the uneven shape.
  • a head cartridge 401 includes a recording head including a plurality of discharge ports, and ink tanks for supplying ink to the recording head.
  • the head cartridge 401 is provided with a connector for receiving a signal or the like for driving each discharge port of the recording head.
  • Five types of ink tanks are independently provided as the ink tanks and respectively contain clear ink for forming the uneven layer, and colored inks of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black for forming the image layer.
  • Each of these types of ink is UV ink to be cured when the ink is irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) light.
  • UV ultraviolet
  • the head cartridge 401 is positioned and mounted on a carriage 402 so as to be replaceable, and the carriage 402 is provided with a connector holder for transmitting a drive signal or the like to the head cartridge 401 through the connector.
  • An ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation device 403 is mounted on the carriage 402 and is controlled such that the discharged ink can be cured and fixed on the recording medium.
  • the carriage 402 is movable in a reciprocating manner along a guide shaft 404 .
  • the carriage 402 is driven through drive mechanisms, such as a motor pulley 406 , a driven pulley 407 , and a timing belt 408 , by using a main scanning motor 405 as a drive source, and the position and movement of the carriage 402 are controlled.
  • a movement of the carriage 402 along the guide shaft 404 is referred to as “main scanning” and the direction of the movement is referred to as a “main scanning direction”.
  • Recording media 409 such as print sheets are placed on an automatic sheet feeder (hereinafter referred to as ASF) 411 .
  • ASF automatic sheet feeder
  • pickup rollers 413 are driven by a sheet feeding motor 412 and rotated through a gear, thereby allowing the recording media 409 to be separated one by one and fed from the ASF 411 . Further, each recording medium 409 is conveyed to a recording start position facing a discharge port surface of the head cartridge 401 on the carriage 402 by the rotation of a conveyance roller 410 .
  • the conveyance roller 410 is driven through a gear by using a line feed (LF) motor 414 as a drive source.
  • LF line feed
  • a control unit 416 includes a CPU and a storage unit. The control unit 416 receives data from an external device, and controls an operation of each part of the image forming apparatus 211 based on the received data.
  • the units described throughout the present disclosure are exemplary and/or preferable modules for implementing processes described in the present disclosure.
  • the term “unit”, as used herein, may generally refer to firmware, software, hardware, or other component, such as circuitry or the like, or any combination thereof, that is used to effectuate a purpose.
  • the modules can be hardware units (such as circuitry, firmware, a field programmable gate array, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit or the like) and/or software modules (such as a computer readable program or the like).
  • the modules for implementing the various steps are not described exhaustively above. However, where there is a step of performing a certain process, there may be a corresponding functional module or unit (implemented by hardware and/or software) for implementing the same process.
  • Technical solutions by all combinations of steps described and units corresponding to these steps are included in the present disclosure.
  • the conveyance roller 410 conveys the recording medium 409 by a predetermined amount in a direction vertical to a scanning direction of the carriage 402 .
  • the conveyance of the recording medium 409 is referred to as “paper feed” or “sub-scanning”, and the direction of the conveyance is referred to as a “paper feed direction” or “sub-scanning direction”.
  • the carriage 402 moves along the guide shaft 404 again. In this manner, scanning and paper feed by the carriage 402 of the recording head are repeatedly performed, thereby forming the uneven layer on the recording medium 409 .
  • the conveyance roller 410 After the uneven layer is formed, the conveyance roller 410 returns the recording medium 409 to the recording start position to discharge colored inks of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black on the uneven layer, thereby forming the image layer in a process similar to the process of forming the uneven layer.
  • the recording head is controlled by two values, i.e., whether to discharge ink dots. This applies to both the clear ink and the color inks.
  • an ink on/off control is performed on each of pixels defined by the output resolution of the image forming apparatus 211 .
  • a state where all pixels are turned on in a unit area is regarded as an ink recording amount of 100%.
  • the term “on” used herein refers to discharge of ink dots and the term “off” used herein refers to discharge of no ink.
  • a recording head capable of modulating the discharge amount of ink is generally used. Such a recording head can be applied if the above-descried binarization processing is extended to multi-value processing that realizes a plurality of levels at which the discharge amount of ink can be modulated.
  • the present exemplary embodiment is therefore not limited to binarization.
  • a height control in each position is performed by discharging clear ink as described above. If, in the formation of the uneven layer, a substantially uniform layer is formed with a clear ink recording amount of 100%, such a layer has a certain height according to the volume of the discharged clear ink. For example, when a layer formed with a recording amount of 100% has a height of 15 ⁇ m, a height of 75 ⁇ m can be reproduced by stacking five layers. That is, the recording amount of clear ink to be applied to a position where a height of 75 ⁇ m is desired is 500%.
  • FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E each illustrate an operation in which the recording head scans over the recording medium 409 to form an uneven layer and an image layer.
  • Main scanning by the carriage 402 forms a layer as much as a width L of the recording head.
  • the recording medium 409 is conveyed by a distance L in the sub-scanning direction.
  • the image forming apparatus 211 in the present exemplary embodiment can only discharge ink up to the recording amount of 100% in one scan. To form a layer with an amount exceeding the recording amount of 100%, the same region is scanned a plurality of times without conveyance.
  • the recording head scans a region A five times ( FIG. 4A ) before the recording medium 409 is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction and main scanning of a region B is repeated five times ( FIG. 4B ).
  • FIGS. 4C to 4E each illustrate an example of two-path recording.
  • an image as much as the width L of the recording head is formed by main scanning of the carriage 402 .
  • the recording medium 409 is conveyed by a distance of L/2 in the sub-scanning direction.
  • the region A is recorded by m-th main scanning ( FIG. 4C ) and (m+1)th main scanning ( FIG. 4D ) of the recording head.
  • the region B is recorded by the (m+1)th main scanning ( FIG. 4D ) and (m+2)th main scanning ( FIG. 4E ) of the recording head.
  • the recording medium 409 is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction by a distance of L/N each time recording of one line ends.
  • a print pattern is divided into a plurality of print patterns, and the recording head performs n main scans over the same line of the recording medium 409 , to thereby form an uneven layer and an image layer.
  • the recording medium 409 is not particularly limited. Various types of materials such as paper, a plastic film, or the like, may be used as long as the materials are capable of formation of layers by the recording head.
  • FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing to be executed by the image processing apparatus 1 .
  • step S 1 the first acquisition unit 301 acquires image data obtained by recording RGB values for each pixel as color information.
  • image data color information R ⁇ 1, color information G ⁇ 1, and color information B ⁇ 1 representing a color visually recognized when the print product is observed from the viewpoint 1 are recorded on each pixel, and color information R ⁇ 1, color information G ⁇ 1, and color information B ⁇ 1 representing a color visually recognized when the print product is observed from the viewpoint 2 are recorded for each pixel.
  • the image data acquired by the first acquisition unit 301 is six-channel image data obtained by recording color information indicating two different colors for each pixel. Assume herein that R ⁇ 1, G ⁇ 1, B ⁇ 1, R ⁇ 2, G ⁇ 2, and B ⁇ 2 represent RGB values defined on an sRGB space.
  • the color information represented by the image data may indicate RGB values defined on an Adobe RGB space, L*a*b* values defined on an L*a*b* space, XYZ values which are color tristimulus values, a spectral reflectance, or the like.
  • the number of pieces of image data acquired in step S 1 is not limited to one. For example, three-channel image data obtained by recording pixel values R ⁇ 1, G ⁇ 1, and B ⁇ 1 for each pixel and three-channel image data obtained by recording pixel values R ⁇ 2, G ⁇ 2, and B ⁇ 2 for each pixel may be acquired.
  • step S 2 the second acquisition unit 302 acquires geometric data obtained by recording, for each pixel, height information indicating the height of the uneven shape to be formed on the recording medium 409 .
  • the shape represented by the geometric data a pattern in which the unevenness is repeatedly formed in a predetermined direction as illustrated in FIG. 1A is used.
  • any uneven shape may be used as long as the print product can be formed in such a manner that color appearances vary when the observation angle is changed in an azimuth angle direction.
  • the uneven shape may be used which is formed by arranging a plurality of projected portions in such a manner that the aspect ratios of bottom surfaces thereof vary for each region of an image.
  • step S 3 the color separation unit 304 acquires the color separation LUT from the holding unit 303 , and performs, on the image data, color separation processing expressed by Expression (1) using the acquired color separation LUT, thereby generating recording amount data representing recording amounts CMYK of colored inks.
  • LUT C , LUT M , LUT Y , and LUT K each represent the color separation LUT for the corresponding colored ink.
  • the color separation processing may be performed using one color separation LUT in which RGB values and CMYK values are associated with each other, instead of using the color respective separation LUTs for CMYK colors.
  • the resolution of image data including color information is different from the resolution of geometric data including height information
  • the resolution of image data and the resolution of geometric data are matched before the color separation processing is executed.
  • a known method such as a nearest neighbor method or a bilinear method, is used for resolution conversion.
  • step S 4 the analysis unit 305 analyzes the geometric data acquired in step S 2 .
  • step S 5 the halftoning unit 306 performs halftoning according to the analysis result of the geometric data.
  • step S 5 will be described in detail below.
  • step S 6 the formation control unit 307 performs path decomposition of the dot arrangement represented by the dot arrangement data obtained in step S 5 , thereby determining the arrangement of ink dots for each recording scan (path). Further, print data representing the arrangement of ink dots for each recording scan (path) is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 211 .
  • a parameter associated with the use of clear ink is calculated based on the geometric data and the calculated parameter is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 211 , and then the processing is terminated.
  • the parameter associated with the use of clear ink indicates the recording amount of clear ink, or the dot arrangement for each path of clear ink.
  • the parameter may be calculated using a table in which the height represented by the geometric data is associated with the parameter.
  • FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating processing to be executed by the analysis unit 305 in step S 4 .
  • step S 411 the geometric data obtained in step S 2 is acquired.
  • step S 412 the shape represented by the geometric data acquired in step S 411 is divided into a plurality of regions (blocks) and digital Fourier transform is performed on each of the divided regions.
  • the shape is divided into blocks each having 32 pixels in the vertical direction and 32 pixels in the horizontal direction.
  • the size of each block is not limited to this example.
  • the shape may be divided into regions after Fourier transform is performed on the entire geometric data.
  • step S 413 it is determined whether one region (region of interest) from among the regions obtained by dividing the shape into regions in step S 412 includes a high-frequency component. If the region includes a high-frequency component (YES in step S 413 ), the processing proceeds to step S 414 . If the region includes no high-frequency component (NO in step S 413 ), it is determined that the region of interest has no unevenness, and flag information “0” indicating that the region does not correspond to a projected portion is recorded for each pixel of the region of interest, and then the processing proceeds to step S 424 .
  • the determination as to whether the region includes a high-frequency component may be made by determining whether a frequency obtained by Fourier transform is higher than a predetermined threshold.
  • step S 414 height information about a pixel of interest in the pixels of the region that is determined to include a high-frequency component in step S 413 is acquired.
  • step S 415 difference values h a (x,y) and h b (x,y) between the height indicated by the height information about the pixel of interest and the height indicated by the height information about the adjacent pixel (previous pixel of interest), and inclination angles ⁇ a and ⁇ b are calculated by Expression (2).
  • ⁇ b tan - 1 ⁇ h b D ( 2 )
  • h(x,y) represents the height of a pixel position (x,y); h a (x,y) and h b (x,y) each represent a difference value between the height of the pixel of interest and the height of the adjacent pixel; D represents a distance between the pixel of interest and the adjacent pixel; and ⁇ a and ⁇ b each represent an inclination angle from the height of the pixel of interest to the height of the adjacent pixel.
  • the distance D a value determined depending on the printer resolution is preliminarily stored in a storage device such as the HDD 213 and the stored value is used.
  • step S 416 it is determined whether the previous pixel of interest is a region corresponding to a projected portion. If the previous pixel of interest is a region corresponding to a projected portion (YES in step S 416 ), the processing proceeds to step S 417 . If the previous pixel of interest is a region corresponding to a recessed portion (NO in step S 416 ), the processing proceeds to step S 419 .
  • the determination for a first pixel of interest is made by comparing the height of the pixel of interest with the height of the adjacent pixel. It may be determined whether the pixel of interest is a region corresponding to a projected portion or a recessed portion by comparing the height of the pixel of interest with an average value of heights of all pixels in the geometric data.
  • step S 417 it is determined whether the inclination angles ⁇ a and ⁇ b are larger than a predetermined threshold. If the inclination angles are larger than the threshold (YES in step S 417 ), the processing proceeds to step S 418 . If the inclination angles are equal to or less than the threshold (NO in step S 417 ), it is determined that the inclination is small and the pixel of interest corresponds to the same projected portion as the previous region of interest, and thus the processing proceeds to step S 422 . In step S 418 , it is determined whether the inclination direction corresponds to a positive direction by referring to the height difference values h a (x,y) and h b (x,y).
  • positive direction refers to a direction in which the inclination from the shape having the height of the pixel of interest to the shape having the height of the adjacent pixel increases.
  • negative direction used herein refers to a direction in which the inclination from the shape having the height of the pixel of interest to the shape having the height of the adjacent pixel decreases.
  • step S 419 it is determined whether the inclination angles ⁇ a and ⁇ b are larger than a predetermined threshold. If the inclination angles are larger than the threshold (YES in step S 419 ), the processing proceeds to step S 420 . If the inclination angles are equal to or less than the threshold (NO in step S 419 ), it is determined that the inclination is small and the pixel of interest is corresponds to the same recessed portion as the previous region of interest, and thus the processing proceeds to step S 421 .
  • step S 420 it is determined whether the inclination direction corresponds to the negative direction by referring to the height difference values h a (x,y) and h b (x,y). If the inclination direction corresponds to the negative direction (YES in step S 420 ), the processing proceeds to step S 422 . If the inclination direction corresponds to the positive direction (NO in step S 420 ), the processing proceeds to step S 421 .
  • step S 421 it is determined that the pixel of interest is located in a region corresponding to a recessed portion region, and thus flag information “0” indicating that the pixel of interest is not located in a region corresponding to a projected portion is recorded on the pixel of interest.
  • step S 422 it is determined that the pixel of interest is located in a region corresponding to a projected portion, and thus flag information “1” indicating that the pixel of interest is located in a region corresponding to a projected portion is recorded on the pixel of interest.
  • step S 423 it is determined whether the determination as to whether the pixel of interest is located in a region corresponding to a projected portion or a recessed portion has been made on all pixels of the region that is determined to include a high-frequency component. If it is determined that the determination has been made (YES in step S 423 ), the processing proceeds to step S 424 . If it is determined that the determination has not been made (NO in step S 423 ), the processing returns to step S 414 to proceed the processing. In step S 424 , it is determined whether processing has been performed on all regions obtained by dividing the shape into regions in step S 412 . If processing has been performed (YES in step S 424 ), the processing ends. If processing has not been performed (NO in step S 424 ), the processing returns to step S 413 to proceed the processing.
  • the flag information about the unevenness is represented by two values assuming that the uneven shape is formed of recessed portions and projected portions like in the parallel line pattern described above.
  • a step number may be given to flag information by referring to height information, to thereby deal with the geometric data in which projected portions are continuously formed.
  • FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating processing to be executed by the halftoning unit 306 in step S 5 .
  • step S 511 the colored ink recording amount data generated in step S 3 is acquired.
  • step S 512 analysis data obtained by analyzing the geometric data in step S 4 is acquired. As illustrated in FIG. 9A , flag information indicating the analysis result is recorded for each pixel of the geometric data as the analysis data. The flag information is indicated by two values, i.e., flag information 1 indicating a projected portion and flag information 0 indicating a recessed portion.
  • step S 513 it is determined, based on the analysis data, whether the pixel of interest in the recording amount data is a region corresponding to a projected portion. If the pixel of interest is a region corresponding to a projected portion (YES in step S 513 ), the processing proceeds to step S 514 . If the pixel of interest is not a region corresponding to a projected portion (NO in step S 513 ), the processing proceeds to step S 517 .
  • step S 514 a color difference between the region corresponding to the projected portion and a region in proximity to the region is calculated using the recording amount of the pixel of interest and the recording amount corresponding to a boundary position between the region corresponding to the projected portion determined to include the pixel of interest in the recording amount data in step S 513 and the other region.
  • the recording amount corresponding to the boundary position the recording amount of a pixel closest to the pixel of interest in the boundary position may be used.
  • the recording amounts CMYK represented by the recording amount data are converted into L*a*b* values by referring to the LUT in which the recording amounts of colored inks and color values (L*a*b* values) are associated with each other, and a Euclidean distance on the L*a*b* space is calculated as the color difference.
  • the recording amount corresponding to the boundary position statistics such as an average value or a maximum value of pixel values in the boundary position may be used.
  • the boundary position may be identified by referring to the analysis data.
  • step S 515 it is determined whether the color difference calculated in step S 514 is larger than a predetermined threshold. If the color difference is larger than the threshold (YES in step S 515 ), the processing proceeds to step S 516 . If the color difference is equal to or less than the threshold (NO in step S 515 ), the processing proceeds to step S 517 .
  • a numerical value 3 is used as a threshold, but instead other values may also be used.
  • the threshold for color difference may be set based on allowable color differences defined by The Color Science Association of Japan. When the threshold is set in such a manner that color difference can be perceived by comparing adjacent colors, the threshold is set to a range from 0.8 to 1.6.
  • the threshold When the threshold is set in such a manner that color difference is hardly perceived by comparing adjacent colors, the threshold is set to a range from 1.6 to 3.2. Further, when the threshold is set in such a manner that the adjacent colors can be handled as the same color at an impression level, the threshold is set to a range from 3.2 to 6.5.
  • step S 516 the size of a first threshold matrix for performing first halftoning on a region which corresponds to a projected portion and has a color difference from the proximity region that is larger than a predetermined threshold is determined.
  • the first halftoning is halftoning for arranging a larger number of ink dots at the center of the projected portion than at edges of the projected portion. Processing of step S 516 will be described in detail below.
  • step S 517 the size of a second threshold matrix for performing second halftoning on a region which corresponds to a recessed portion or a projected portion and has a color difference from the proximity region that is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold is determined.
  • the second halftoning is halftoning for arranging ink dots discretely. The processing of step S 517 will be described in detail below.
  • step S 518 the second halftoning using the second threshold matrix is executed on a region which corresponds to a recessed portion or a projected portion and has a color difference from the proximity region that is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, to thereby generate second dot arrangement data.
  • the dot arrangement data is binary data obtained by recording two values, i.e., “0” indicating discharge of ink and “1” indicating discharge of no ink, for each pixel.
  • the second threshold matrix according to the present exemplary embodiment has blue noise characteristics.
  • FIG. 9A illustrates the second threshold matrix of a dot dispersion type having blue noise characteristics.
  • step S 519 the first halftoning using the first threshold matrix is executed on a region which corresponds to a projected portion and has a color difference from the proximity region that is larger than the predetermined threshold, to thereby generate first dot arrangement data.
  • FIG. 9A illustrates the first threshold matrix of a dot concentration type.
  • the center of the projected portion is a 2-dot-width region indicated by a threshold 1.
  • the center of the projected portion is a region in which the ink recording amount is small and a first dot is placed.
  • Each edge of the projected portion is a one-dot-width region indicated by a threshold 255.
  • Each edge of the projected portion is a region in which the ink recording amount is high and a last dot is placed.
  • Any matrix may be used as the first threshold matrix, as long as the threshold increases from the center of the projected portion toward the edges of the projected portion.
  • the threshold may be set to increase not only in the horizontal direction (x-axis direction), but also in the vertical direction (y-axis direction), or the threshold may be set to increase in a spiral manner from the center of the projected portion.
  • the position of the center of the projected portion corresponds to a central two-dot-width region among the eight dots, but the present exemplary embodiment is not limited to this example.
  • a central one-dot-width region may be set as the center of the projected portion.
  • step S 5 when the size of the threshold matrix for the region including the pixel of interest is determined, the pixel of interest in a different region is selected to perform the processing of steps S 513 to S 519 . The processing is repeated until halftoning is executed on all regions.
  • the size of the threshold matrix and the threshold may be preliminarily determined based on image data and geometric data. In this case, the processing of steps S 516 and S 517 is not performed and halftoning is performed using the preliminarily determined threshold matrix.
  • FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating processing to be executed by the halftoning unit 306 in steps S 516 and S 517 . Regions that are continuously determined to be identical as a result of determination in steps S 513 and S 515 are calculated and the size of the regions is set as the size of the threshold matrix.
  • step S 5161 the determination results for the pixel of interest (x,y) determined in steps S 513 and S 515 are acquired.
  • step S 5162 a counter dx is incremented by 1.
  • step S 5163 it is determined whether the determination results are identical by referring to the determination result for the pixel of interest (x,y) and the determination result for the pixel (x+dx,y). If the determination results are identical (YES in step S 5163 ), the processing returns to step S 5162 . If the determination results are not identical (NO in step S 5163 ), the processing proceeds to step S 5164 . In step S 5164 , a counter dy is incremented by 1.
  • step S 5165 it is determined whether the determination results are identical by referring to the determination result for the pixel of interest (x,y) and the determination result for the pixel (x,y+dy). If the determination results are identical (YES in step S 5165 ), the processing returns to step S 5164 . If the determination results are not identical (NO in step S 5165 ), the processing proceeds to step S 5166 . In step S 5166 , the size of the threshold matrix is set to dx-1 in the horizontal direction and dy-1 in the vertical direction.
  • the region including the pixel of interest may be identified by performing edge detection on the analysis data by using a known Laplacian filter or the like.
  • halftoning is performed such that a larger amount of colored ink can be recorded at the center of the projected portion than at edges of the projected portion when colored inks are recorded on the projected portion of the uneven shape, thereby improving the accuracy of reproducing colors of an anisotropic print product.
  • halftoning is performed to prevent the colored printing material to be recorded on the surface of each projected portion from flowing into the surface of each recessed portion. Accordingly, the recording amount of the colored printing material to be recorded on each projected portion is not limited and thus colors can be reproduced with high saturation.
  • One combination of recording amounts of colored inks for color information is predetermined, thereby eliminating the need for a table to hold a plurality of combinations of recording amounts.
  • the first exemplary embodiment illustrates a method for improving the color reproduction accuracy by setting the threshold matrix in which ink dots are concentrated on the center of each projected portion.
  • a second exemplary embodiment illustrates an example in which a plurality of dots is superimposed at the center of each projected portion by path decomposition processing. Processing of step S 6 , which is a difference between the processing according to the second exemplary embodiment and the processing according to the first exemplary embodiment, will be mainly described below.
  • FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating processing to be executed by the formation control unit 307 in step S 6 .
  • step S 621 the colored ink dot arrangement data generated in step S 5 is acquired.
  • the dot arrangement data obtained herein is not limited to the data generated in step S 5 , but instead data obtained by performing known halftoning on recording amount data may be used.
  • step S 622 path decomposition processing is performed based on the dot arrangement data. In the present exemplary embodiment, the path is decomposed into four paths.
  • step S 623 the analysis data obtained by analyzing the geometric data in step S 4 is acquired.
  • step S 624 regions in which projected portions or recessed portions are continuously formed are identified by processing similar to the processing of steps S 516 and S 517 .
  • step S 625 the region of interest is set in the regions identified in step S 624 .
  • step S 626 it is determined whether the region of interest is a region corresponding to a projected portion or a recessed portion by referring to the analysis data. If the region of interest is a region corresponding to a projected portion (YES in step S 626 ), the processing proceeds to step S 627 . If the region of interest is a region corresponding to a recessed portion (NO in step S 626 ), the processing proceeds to step S 630 .
  • step S 627 dots located at each edge (a boundary region between a projected portion and a recessed portion) of the projected portion are set to 0 in the dot arrangement for each path obtained by path decomposition processing in step S 622 . Instead of setting the dots arranged at edges of the projected portion to 0, a correction for reducing the number of dots by a predetermined number may be made.
  • step S 628 a difference between the recording amount indicated by the recording amount data in the region of interest and the recording amount when colored inks are recorded according to the dot arrangement obtained by the processing of step S 627 is calculated. If the difference value is smaller than a predetermined threshold (YES in step S 628 ), the processing proceeds to step S 630 .
  • step S 628 If the difference value is equal to or greater than the threshold (No in step S 628 ), the processing proceeds to step S 629 .
  • step S 629 the number of dots located at the center of the region corresponding to the projected portion is increased and the processing returns to step S 628 .
  • step S 630 it is determined whether processing on all regions is finished. If the processing is finished (YES in step S 630 ), the print data representing the dot arrangement of colored inks determined in step S 6 and the parameter associated with the use of clear ink are transmitted to the image forming apparatus 211 , and then the processing is terminated. If the processing is not finished (NO in step S 630 ), the processing returns to step S 625 . The parameter associated with the use of clear ink is calculated based on the geometric data in step S 630 .
  • path decomposition processing is performed to reduce the number of dots arranged at edges of each projected portion, thereby preventing colored inks recorded on each projected portion from flowing into each recessed portion. Consequently, the accuracy of reproducing colors of an anisotropic print product can be improved.
  • the first and second exemplary embodiments illustrate a method for improving the color reproduction accuracy by performing halftoning or path decomposition processing such that dots of colored inks are concentrated on the center of each projected portion.
  • a third exemplary embodiment illustrates an example in which path decomposition processing is performed such that a larger amount of cleared ink is recorded at edges of each projected portion as illustrated in FIG. 12 , thereby preventing the colored inks recorded on each projected portion from flowing into each recessed portion.
  • Processing of step S 6 which is a difference between the processing according to the third exemplary embodiment and the processing according to the first exemplary embodiment, will be mainly described below.
  • FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating processing to be executed by the formation control unit 307 in step S 6 .
  • step S 621 the colored ink dot arrangement data generated in step S 5 is acquired.
  • the dot arrangement data obtained here is not limited to the data generated in step S 5 , but instead data obtained by performing known halftoning on recording amount data may be used.
  • dot arrangement data on clear ink is acquired.
  • the dot arrangement data on clear ink is generated in advance based on the geometric data.
  • path decomposition processing is performed based on the dot arrangement data. In the present exemplary embodiment, the path is decomposed into four paths.
  • step S 623 the analysis data obtained by analyzing the geometric data in step S 4 is acquired.
  • step S 624 regions in which projected portions or recessed portions are continuously formed are identified by processing similar to the processing of steps S 516 and S 517 .
  • step S 625 the region of interest is set in the regions identified in step S 624 .
  • step S 626 it is determined whether the region of interest is a region corresponding to a projected portion or a recessed portion by referring to the analysis data. If the region of interest is a region corresponding to a projected portion (YES in step S 626 ), the processing proceeds to step S 627 . If the region of interest is a region corresponding to a recessed portion (NO in step S 626 ), the processing proceeds to step S 630 .
  • step S 627 dots located at each edge (a boundary region between a projected portion and a recessed portion) of the projected portion are set to 0 in the dot arrangement for each path obtained by path decomposition processing in step S 622 . Further, the number of dots located at the edge of each projected portion is increased by 1 in the dot arrangement of clear ink. Instead of setting the dots of colored inks arranged at edges of each projected portion to 0, a correction for reducing the number of dots by a predetermined number may be made.
  • step S 628 the difference between the recording amount indicated by the recording amount data in the region of interest and the recording amount when colored inks are recorded according to the dot arrangement obtained by processing in step S 627 is calculated.
  • step S 628 If the difference value is smaller than a predetermined threshold (YES in step S 628 ), the processing proceeds to step S 630 . If the difference value is equal to or greater than the threshold (NO in step S 628 ), the processing proceeds to step S 629 . In step S 629 , the number of dots located at the center of the region corresponding to the projected portion is increased and the processing returns to step S 628 .
  • step S 630 it is determined whether processing on all regions is finished. If the processing is finished (YES in step S 630 ), the print data representing the dot arrangement of the colored inks determined in step S 6 and the parameter associated with the use of clear ink are transmitted to the image forming apparatus 211 , and then the processing ends. If the processing is not finished (NO in step S 630 ), the processing returns to step S 625 .
  • a larger amount of clear ink is recorded at edges of each projected portion, thereby preventing the colored inks recorded on each projected portion from flowing into each recessed portion. Consequently, the color reproduction accuracy can be improved.
  • step S 3 which is a difference between the processing according to the fourth exemplary embodiment and the processing according to the first exemplary embodiment, will be mainly described below.
  • the image data acquired in step S 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment includes CIE tristimulus values XYZ as color information. Specifically, color information XYZ1 indicating a color visually recognized when the print product is observed from the viewpoint 1 and color information XYZ2 indicating a color visually recognized when the print product is observed from the viewpoint 2 are recorded for each pixel.
  • FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating processing to be executed by the color separation unit 304 in step S 3 .
  • the color separation LUT is acquired.
  • the color separation LUT according to the present exemplary embodiment indicates colors (CIE tristimulus values XYZ) to be reproduced according to the recording amount of colored inks of C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black) mounted on the image forming apparatus 211 . That is, the color separation LUT indicates data obtained by associating the recording amounts CMYK of colored inks with the CIE tristimulus values XYZ.
  • the color separation LUT is created in advance by forming a patch on a recording medium while changing the recording amount of colored inks and measuring the colors in the formed patch, and the created color separation LUT is stored in a storage device such as the HDD 213 .
  • step S 322 based on the color information indicated by the image data acquired in step S 1 , the color of colored ink to be recorded on a projected portion (XYZ projection ) and the color of colored ink to be recorded on a recessed portion (XYZ recess ) are calculated.
  • XYZ projection the color of colored ink to be recorded on a projected portion
  • XYZ recess the color of colored ink to be recorded on a recessed portion
  • step S 323 a recording amount CMYK projection of colored inks to be recorded on the projected portion and a recording amount CMYK recess of colored inks to be recorded on the recessed portion are acquired based on XYZ projection and XYZ recess calculated in step S 322 .
  • a reverse lookup is performed using known interpolation processing, such as cubic interpolation or tetrahedral interpolation, from a color conversion table in FIG. 14 .
  • the color conversion table used here indicates CIE tristimulus values XYZ for the recording amount CMYK of colored inks, and is obtained by performing known under color removal (UCR) processing on the colored inks CMY. Accordingly, a plurality of recording amounts CMYK is obtained for XYZ. Therefore, in step S 324 , an appropriate combination of recording amounts is selected from among all candidates of acquired recording amounts CMYK for XYZ.
  • step S 324 an appropriate combination of recording amounts CMYK is selected from among candidates of recording amounts CMYK acquired in step S 323 .
  • the recording amount CMYK projection with which the total recording amount of the recording amounts of colored inks to be recorded on each projected portion is minimum is selected to prevent the colored inks to be recorded on each projected portion from flowing into each recessed portion.
  • the recording amount CMYK recess with which the total recording amount of the recording amounts of colored inks to be recorded on each recessed portion is minimum is selected to prevent a deterioration in granularity.
  • the total recording amount is the total amount of recording amounts of C, M, Y, and K.
  • the colored inks to be recorded on each projected portion are less likely to flow into each recessed portion, so that the difference between colored to be reproduced is prevented from decreasing in two different directions and the visual recognition of a variation in color appearance according to the observation angle is facilitated.
  • CMYK inks As described above, in the printer having four types of colored inks, i.e., CMYK inks, mounted thereon, a plurality of combinations of recording amounts of colored inks is calculated by UCR processing.
  • a combination of colored inks with which the total recording amount is minimum is selected to reduce the recording amount of colored inks to be recorded on each projected portion.
  • the ink recorded on each projected portion is less likely to flow into each recessed portion, so that a desired color can be reproduced with a high accuracy.
  • colored inks are recorded on the uneven shape in such a manner that the colors vary when the colors are observed from different direction, thereby making it possible to reproduce the color anisotropy on the recording medium.
  • Geometric data for identifying projected portions and recessed portions in advance may be acquired, or mask data for identifying recessed portions and projected portions may be acquired separately from geometric data.
  • threshold matrices used for halftoning are switched based on the mask data.
  • the exemplary embodiments described above illustrate an example in which an uneven layer and an image layer are formed by employing an inkjet method.
  • other recording methods such as an electrophotographic method may also be employed.
  • halftoning is performed using a threshold matrix, but instead an error diffusion method may be used.
  • a diffusion coefficient is determined in such a manner that an error is diffused only in a central region of each projected portion, by setting the recording amount corresponding to each edge of the projected portion to 0, or by adding dots to the center of the projected portion.
  • UV ink is used as clear ink for forming the unevenness.
  • the present disclosure is not limited to this example.
  • ink to be cured with light other than UV light, or ink to be cured with heat may also be used.
  • the unevenness may be formed by shaving, and wood or metal other than resins may be used.
  • Low-density inks such as Lc (light cyan) and Lm (light magenta) may be used in addition to C, M, Y, and K inks.
  • Lc light cyan
  • Lm light magenta
  • the number of combinations of recording amounts of colored inks is increased by performing color density decompositions for replacing Lc with C or replacing Lm with M.
  • a combination of recording amounts of colored inks with which the total recording amount of colored inks is minimum may be selected from among the combinations.
  • particular color inks such as R (red) ink, G (green) ink, and B (blue) ink may also be used.
  • image data including information about colors to be reproduced when the print product is observed from two viewpoints with different azimuth angles is acquired.
  • the present disclosure is not limited to this example.
  • the appearance of the print product having an uneven shape formed on a surface thereof varies depending on a change in the elevation angle direction of the viewpoint.
  • the image data may include information about colors to be reproduced when the print product is observed from two viewpoints with different elevation angles.
  • colored inks are used as the colored printing material.
  • the present disclosure is not limited to this example.
  • colored toner may be used as the colored printing material.
  • the printing material for forming the unevenness is not limited to clear ink, but instead clear toner may be used.
  • the recording amount data is generated by performing color separation processing on the image data.
  • the recording amount data generated based on the image data may be preliminarily stored in a storage device, such as the HDD 213 , and the recording amount data may be acquired from the storage device and used. In this case, the image processing apparatus 1 does not acquire the image data and does not perform the color separation processing.
  • height information is recorded for each pixel of the geometric data.
  • any format may be used, as long as the uneven shape formed on a recording medium can be represented.
  • the normal direction of the surface of the shape may be recorded for each pixel.
  • the geometric data may be point group data or polygon data.
  • the exemplary embodiments described above illustrate an example in which the parameter associated with the use of clear ink is calculated based on the geometric data.
  • the present disclosure is not limited to the example.
  • the parameter associated with the use of clear ink calculated based on the geometric data may be preliminarily stored in a storage device such as the HDD 213 , and the parameter may be acquired from the storage device and used.
  • halftoning to be performed on each projected portion and halftoning to be performed on each recessed portion are switched.
  • the first halftoning using the first threshold matrix of dot concentration type may be performed on both the projected portions and the recessed portions.
  • data for recording colored inks on each projected portion and each recessed portion is generated.
  • Colored inks may be recorded only on each projected portion, as long as the color to be reproduced on each projected portion is different from the color to be reproduced on each recessed portion.
  • the color to be reproduced on each recessed portion corresponds to the color to be reproduced on a recording medium.
  • the fourth exemplary embodiment illustrates an example in which the recording amount CMYK projection with which the total recording amount of recording amounts of colored inks to be recorded on each projected portion is minimum is selected.
  • any selection method may be used as long as the recording amount CMYK projection is selected according to a predetermined condition for preventing colored inks to be recorded on each projected portion from flowing into each recessed portion.
  • the recording amount CMYK projection with which an average viscosity is maximum may be selected.
  • a combination of recording amounts with which the total recording amount is maximum may be selected from among the combinations with which the total recording amount is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold.
  • the present disclosure it is possible to reproduce colors with a high accuracy on a recording medium having an uneven shape formed on a surface thereof, whereby the present disclosure improves image processing technology and provides a particular solution to a problem or a particular way to achieve a desired outcome.
  • Embodiment(s) of the present disclosure can also be realized by a computerized configuration(s) of a system or apparatus that read(s) out and execute(s) computer executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a ‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’) to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or that include(s) one or more circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by the computerized configuration(s) of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out and executing the computer executable instructions from the storage medium to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s).
  • ASIC application specific integrated circuit
  • the computerized configuration(s) may comprise one or more processors, and one or more memories (e.g., central processing unit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)), and may include a network of separate computers or separate processors to read out and execute the computer executable instructions.
  • the computer executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or the storage medium.
  • the storage medium may include, for example, one or more of a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as a compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)TM), a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.

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  • Facsimile Image Signal Circuits (AREA)
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